The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-03-09
OUR EXPENSIVE SENATE.
What II Costs to Keep Congress In
Running Order.

tuunius OTucT.
The Legislative, executive, and judi
cial appropriation bill, now on the
house calendar, aggregates 500, 2S6, 81.
This amount is Sil8,5 below the sum
appropriated for the current fiscal year
and 1886, 920 below the estimate of the
secretary of the treasury. II is usual
for the committee on appropriations in
preparing their bills TO take into con-
sideration the fact that many of the
amounts reported will be increased by
the house and many others by the
senate. Acting upon this theory, the
committee reduce some of the amounts
presented in the estimates in the full
belief that the figures reported by them
will be raised. Judging from previous
experience, it is risking little that the
pending bill will be increased in
amount ut least 1000, 900 by the time
the senate completes it.
An examination of the expenses OF
the senate and house reveals II few in
teresting facts. The total amount APP
propriated for the senate is $500, 1863,
which does not include il,000 asked
for to pay private secretaries to sena-
tors who are not chairmen of commit
tees, and which amount the senate will
certainly add. The salaries of rs sena-
tors amount to $3.50, 900. To wait upon
these 76 senator's the services of PIG
officers and employees are required, at
an annual cost of $500. $3.50. These
figures show that the services of three
attendants are necessary to each sena-
tor, the average annual pay of the at
tendants being $l,39l. The attendants
are employed not more than 10 months
of the "a months included in session
of congress, which would give each of
them salary of 1878 per month for
the time actually employed.
To pay salaries to 1875 representatives
and 8 delegates 81. 695, 900 is required
and TO pay 30t officers and employees,
1888, l3. The difference between
these figures and those representing
the aggregate required to pay senate
officials is worthy of not &c, as it will
explain in some measure the annual
squabble between the two branches on
this question. The average paid the
house officials is 81, 24l per annum,
which is Sl47 less than that paid b. the
senate The senate force is equal to
three attendants to each senator, while
that of the house is less than one for
each member,
The mileage of senators costs 1888, 900
hot .f N,.ff
S110,624. The senate mileage divided
per capita would give every senator
over S434, sum sufficient to furnish
each of them with lirst-class passage
from San Francisco TO London or Paris.
The house mileage foots up $40 62i
which is equivalent to 1888. 20 per cap
ita. The allowance per mile is 20
cents each way. At the last session the
mileage of officers of the army and
navy, when travelling under orders,
was fixed at g cents per mile. At the
present session, in the sundry civil bill,
this allowance was fixed at actual ex-
penses, exclusive of sleeping and par
lor car charges, and cents per mile.
Able arguments were made in the house
to show that this allowance was ample.
If ample to cover the travelling expens-
es of all other government officials,
why not apply 1t to members of con-
gressp Here is n good opportunity to
save S75. 600 per annum.
For contingent expenses the bill pro-
vides for the senate S69,9S0 and for
the house S113,93 These sums, divid-
ed per capita, would give each senator
from the contingent fund 1921, and
each representative 342. Summarizing
the incidental expenses of congress
men. exclusive of Their annual salary of
So, 900, each senator costs the govern
ment to provide him with attendance
over s., S07 per annum. q Il the cost of
each representative and dllegatc is 81
$40 The senate's total for personal
attendance is S403, $40; that of the
house, s612, GA NeD York Times.